This study aims to empirically analyze the effects of a dance education program on the development of creativity and social skills in elementary school students. In an era where children's creativity and social skill development are threatened by AI a...
This study aims to empirically analyze the effects of a dance education program on the development of creativity and social skills in elementary school students. In an era where children's creativity and social skill development are threatened by AI advancement and overreliance on smart devices, this research systematically examined the effectiveness of dance education, which is fundamentally based on physical movement and nonverbal communication.
The participants were 26 elementary school students in grades 3-6 who voluntarily participated in the "Dance Company of Dream" program in the Guri area in 2025. The dance education program consisted of 30 sessions conducted over approximately seven months. The program was a creation-centered dance education curriculum composed of four stages: 'Discovery and Exploration → Artistic Imagination → Expression and Creation → Sharing.' It was designed to promote process-oriented arts education and enable children to participate proactively and develop original forms of expression.
The research employed a mixed-methods design integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative study utilized a single-group pretest-posttest design, employing the K-ICT Integrated Creativity Test and the K-SSRS (Student Form) Social Skills Rating Scale to analyze changes in creativity (fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, imagination, sensitivity) and social skills (cooperation, assertion, empathy, self-control). The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical program to conduct paired-samples t-tests and correlation analyses. For the qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted with five students who participated in the program, and thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's (2006) method yielded two categories, six themes, and twelve sub-themes.
The analysis revealed the following results: First, among the six sub-factors of creativity, originality, sensitivity, fluency, and flexibility showed statistically highly significant improvement (p <.01), with fluency demonstrating the greatest improvement (t=-11.38, p <.001). While elaboration and imagination did not achieve statistical significance, developmental experiences were confirmed through qualitative analysis. Second, all four sub-factors of social skills (cooperation, assertion, empathy, self-control) showed statistically significant improvement (p <.01). Third, a significant positive correlation was found between creativity and social skills, confirming the integrated development of both competencies. The qualitative analysis identified two categories: 'Expansion of Creative Expression Abilities' and 'Development of Social Skills,' indicating that children developed creative thinking through exploration of diverse movements and cultivated social abilities through collaborative creative processes.
This study clarified the effects of dance education on creativity and social skills by examining individual sub-factors, confirmed the integrated development of both competencies, and demonstrated the holistic educational value of dance education. Additionally, it holds significance in providing empirical evidence for cultural arts education policies by verifying the effectiveness of public arts education initiatives.